US military denies troops fired on Iraq protest

[Barrett808]

Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD, Aug 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. military denied on Tuesday that one of its convoys opened fire on demonstrators who had blocked a main road near Baghdad, after residents and police said the unit had wounded up to 18 people.

U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Donnelly confirmed protesters had stopped a convoy in the town of Khalis, 80 km (50 miles) north of Baghdad on the main road linking the capital to the northern city of Kirkuk.

"There was small arms fire and thrown rocks received from somewhere in the vicinity of the protest. We fired warning shots and smoke to screen anyone from aiming at our units. At no time did the unit fire at the crowd," Donnelly said in an email in reply to questions from Reuters.

He said the provincial joint coordination centre had reported four injuries, although he did make clear how these injuries occurred.

One of the protesters, Fuad Hameed, 40, told Reuters that residents had been protesting the lack of security in the town. Seventeen mortar rounds hit different parts of Khalis on Saturday, killing seven people.

He said U.S. troops in the convoy at first tried to disperse the protesters with teargas and then opened fire and at least 17 people were wounded, mostly in the lower parts of their bodies.

Police said 18 people had been wounded, some of them seriously.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL152241.htm

[tularetom]

1. I'm afraid this is all going to end very badly for us

There are just too many of these incidents being reported for them all to be false. These guys are tense overworked overstressed and afraid. Some day somebody will do something really stupid and touch off a reaction which will end up in a huge loss of life not only for the Iraqis but for our troops as well.

At that point the cries to leave will become a chorus and we will wind up turning tail and hauling ass out of there to the scorn of those we were supposed to "liberate".

Let's get the hell out now while we still have a few ounces of dignity left.

I never felt this way before. Although I always thought the invasion was ill advised I felt we owed the people of Iraq for fucking up their infrastructure and their daily lives. I've come to the realization that those things will not be repaired as long as we are around. We are a constant reminder to them of how much damage we have done.

This fustercluck has already damaged the image of America in the eyes of the world like nothing we have ever experienced. But it could get worse.

[DeSwiss]

2. Yes, "Pinkville"

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,840403,00.html">The My Lai Massacre

K&R

[Supersedeas]

3. We shall be greeted as liberators.